Courses for 2018

For 2018 we’ll be running the following courses, including the return ofThree Enterprise after last year’s success in bringing writers, directors and actors together.

The courses are designed to cater to all abilities, and our course tutors have plenty of experience of working with those new to theatre as well as seasoned actors. However, if you’d like to sign up for Face the Music then we’d suggest that some musical experience and a willingness to sing is needed.

Our 2018 theme is I Have A Dream…

55 years ago, full of hope, Martin Luther King’s famous speech about racial equal-ity rang out with the phrase “I have a Dream…” Those unforgettable words chime in with many other visions for the future of our world – fears as well as hopes. This is the link between all our projects and also with the origins of Riding Lights itself – a dream which began 40 years ago.

RIDING LIGHTS EXPRESS (age 14-18)

Join an imaginative ensemble company to create a challenging piece of theatre.

When plague suddenly arrives in the Derbyshire village of Eyam, the people face a nightmarish choice – flee or sacrifice themselves to stop the disease spreading?

… Just one of the inspiring stories of generosity and heroism from across the world woven into a different drum. Exciting to perform, enthralling to watch, this classic Riding Lights production will be re-created through the energy and skills of the RL Express company.

FACE THE MUSIC (age 14-18)

Face the Music has a well-deserved reputation for bold innovative approaches to musical theatre. Join them on a creative adventure as they take the disturbing vision of 1930’s novel Brave New World as inspiration for their own piece. This will be punctuated with numbers from the contemporary hit show Songs for a New World. A powerful story, some classic songs, eye-catching choreography, unforgettable characters and… with your participation, out will come a dynamic new musical!

GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER (age 19-25)

An exciting new theatre project awaits the GYAT company this year! New approaches to the way audiences experience theatre are in vogue – ‘immersive theatre’ performances in particular. This week is a brilliant opportunity to learn how to do this. Work with an ensemble company to populate a story with vivid characters and present them ‘immersively’ within spaces available on our campus. Bring to multi-layered life a story closely connected to the ‘visionary’ theme of our week. (GYAT will join forces with members of The Full Works for this project).

STAGE BY STAGE (age 19-90)

100 years on from when women finally achieved the right to vote, Stage by Stage celebrates the dramatic struggle of the suffragettes with a spectacular staging of Bridget Foreman’s acclaimed community play, Everything is Possible (York Theatre Royal 2017). When York housewife Annie Seymour Pearson joins the WSPU, she finds herself undertaking some extraordinary escapades in the hope of changing a nation… A play in a week with parts for all.

THE FULL WORKS (age 19-90)

Familiar with the devising process and producing ‘a play in a week’, this year the Full Works company will join members of Get Your Act Together to take part in an extra-ordinary project, on a scale never attempted before at the Summer School. Led by the director of London’s newest immersive theatre venues, come and join a course to push the boundaries and engage the audience in a memorable way. (Please read the descriptions of both these courses)

THREE ENTERPRISE (age 19-90)

This varied and popular course returns for a second year where participants hone their skills in two of three theatre disciplines: acting, writing or directing. Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I have a Dream…’ speech will be the spring-board for Three Enterprise theatre-makers to create stirring mini-dramas on the theme of Justice. Comic, tragic, personal or global – the choices are up to you. Experienced profes-sional tuition, individual creativity and energetic collaboration – it’s a great mix!

TECHNICAL THEATRE (Age 16 – 90)

This highly practical course shines its spotlight on a range of behind-the-scenes operations. Learn technical theatre skills from an experienced professional, dis-cover how to stage-manage a production, rig and operate lighting and sound and then work with a director to support the final performance of one of our Summer School shows.

So, has a particular course caught your eye or peaked your creative interest? If so, you can apply here.